Bay Area Mangoes

[BenG]

As a self-proclaimed mango addict, I would like to know if I can grow mangoes where I am? (Zone 9b)

[Bush2Beach]

Do you have space for a nice greenhouse and money to burn?
If so.....Maybe.
It would be much cheaper and tastier to buy a plane ticket to Florida in July.

[BenG]

*cries in no space*

[BenG]

Would it be possible to grow one as a houseplant of sorts?

[simon_grow]

I’m horrible with geography but here’s an unprotected mango growing in Pittsburg California

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LXoSQQkjLHs

Probably have to do your homework and plant in the warmest microclimate and having nice, huge dark boulders for thermal mass will help.

If you try, definitely start with seedlings and not grafted trees.

Research has shown that it is the size of the tree that correlates with cold tolerance. The larger the tree, the better your chance of survival.

Maybe start with multiple seedlings in root pruning pots and keep them in pots until they are as large as you can manage dragging into the garage or other warm protected place in the winter.

Once it grows to an unmanageable size, plant it into the ground after last chance of frost.

If you keep up potting into the next size up root pruning pot, your tree should have a nice healthy root system.

Take into consideration that the root mass is approximately equal to the above ground mass of branches. Down in the earth, the temperatures are much more stable than above ground due to the thermal mass of the earth and the specific heat of earth vs air.

If you get a once in 20 year cold event however, it could still kill your tree if unprotected. For a single tree, you can use a patio heater.

Simon

[spaugh]

There's a guy who is on this forum but doesn't post much that has some fruiting mango trees in Santa Clara.  I think you are much better off growing stone fruits but maybe you could just plant a few mango seeds just to see for yourself how it works out.  It won't cost much to just try. 

[Francis_Eric]

I’m horrible with geography but here’s an unprotected mango growing in Pittsburg California


If you get a once in 20 year cold event however, it could still kill your tree if unprotected. For a single tree, you can use a patio heater.

Simon

Good advice Simon grow
Don't people use Christmas Lights wrapped around trees though to prevent the trunks from splitting.
I suppose people also wrap with burlap and use lights as well , but since I am not doing it I only know so much.
Plenty of things here on that, but I remember mostly reading on garden web way back in the day.

I'd get seeds from that tree growing already might have cold tolerance built in somewhat in the next generation, but I do not l know just what I'd do.

[BenG]

Ok, I'll start my mango from seed experiment. Just a question, how long does it take a mango to go from seed to fruit?

[ammoun]

Ok, I'll start my mango from seed experiment. Just a question, how long does it take a mango to go from seed to fruit?

3-4 years in an ideal climate, and sometimes it will never fruit so you will probably need to graft it once established.

[BenG]

Ok, then should I plant multiple trees?

[ammoun]

Ok, then should I plant multiple trees?

Yes as many as you can, as many will die.

[BenG]

Ok. Operation Put A Mango In Every Nook And Cranny Of My House, commenced.

[K-Rimes]

I'm growing mangoes in 9b, and they really suffer (even this larger one I have) in the winter. I get the inland 100f temps regularly, which I think helps a lot with keeping it moving and growing at least somewhat.

I protected it in a mildly heated (incandescent string lights) frost enclosure last year. My opinion is it would have died immediately without this treatment. It's at best a novelty plant in this climate, imo. Don't really know if I'll ever get fruit but I'm setting up a high tunnel over the next few weeks which should give it a fighting chance.

[Momo]

As far I knows someone in bay area zone 9b success grow NAM DOC MAI varieties

[RB]

I am not too far from you and have been able to grow and fruit mango here in the Bay Area.  I have a few trees purchased from Home Depot and some from JF.  I'm sure I made every mango growing mistake along the way, like letting the tree hold fruit every year.  I've learned a lot from this forum.  This year I grafted Sweet Tart and a few other varieties onto my 5 year old tree purchased from Home Depot.  My other  trees grafted on manilla rootstock are growing well here.  The Orange Sherbet has been flushing new growth all summer.  I agree that it is more of a novelty and I never expect to get a lot of fruit from the trees.  It was exciting to pick a tree ripened mango during the last heat wave, it smelled and tasted amazing!

[vall]

https://growingfruit.org/t/ataulfo-mango-in-northern-california/29400

There's someone in Fairfield with a fruiting mango as well.  I grew up near there so that surprised me, it must be pretty well protected.

[Itay Gazit]

You should be able to grow Mangoes in the bay area.

I did lecture about it a month ago in Santa Cruz
https://drive.google.com/.../1RHCXpvNuoSi2ySP6kZ.../view...

Itay

[ammoun]

You should be able to grow Mangoes in the bay area.

I did lecture about it a month ago in Santa Cruz
https://drive.google.com/.../1RHCXpvNuoSi2ySP6kZ.../view...

Itay

Could you double check the link please.

[BenG]

Awesome! That's good know. Thank you all.

[Bush2Beach]

Your talk was solely focused on growing Mango’s in the Bay Area?

You should be able to grow Mangoes in the bay area.

I did lecture about it a month ago in Santa Cruz
https://drive.google.com/.../1RHCXpvNuoSi2ySP6kZ.../view...

Itay

[kicksavedave]

I’m horrible with geography but here’s an unprotected mango growing in Pittsburg California


If you get a once in 20 year cold event however, it could still kill your tree if unprotected. For a single tree, you can use a patio heater.

Simon

Good advice Simon grow
Don't people use Christmas Lights wrapped around trees though to prevent the trunks from splitting.
I suppose people also wrap with burlap and use lights as well , but since I am not doing it I only know so much.
Plenty of things here on that, but I remember mostly reading on garden web way back in the day.

I'd get seeds from that tree growing already might have cold tolerance built in somewhat in the next generation, but I do not l know just what I'd do.

Here is how I protect my young Avocado trees from cold damage, in San Diego where it hit 25 once in Feb this year.   

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=23124.msg406189#msg406189

Obviously this method doesn't care what tree variety the heat is protecting, so I plan to do this for the mangoes that I will plant, once I figure out what the heck I want to grow.

[Itay Gazit]

Hi,

The presentation can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RHCXpvNuoSi2ySP6kZ_hsG0e4VHyjaKI/view?usp=drivesdk&fbclid=IwAR2XhFDiwiz_Fjf6kZH819KKDfUJmhYVHzpv1abFMq9d26Fg54Pji6NApts

Jonah,
The lecture topic was sharing my experience in growing Mangoes in northren CA. It was part of Slawek's Santa Cruz series of lectures.

Few years ago l thought similar to what you think, that mangoes can't grow in the bay area. I killed few trees and almost gave up, but then pictures,videos and testimonies of Bay Area Mangoes trees popped up.
After reading Simon's and Har's amazing posts and some experiments I did, I realized it's probably doable.
I have some in ground Mango plants and some in pots that sruvived past winter without protection. I plan to continue plant more seedlings next spring.

Itay

[Bush2Beach]

Itay,
I’ve followed the pictures , videos and simons thread about Southern CA Mango growing. I been watching the story unfold and advising against growing Mango’s this far north since before the tim thompson cold hardy mango debacle played out.
I do not think Mango’s can’t grow in the Bay Area , I know if you put a lot of effort into it and live in a proper microclimate , it is doable.
I have also seen and heard about alot more failure than success and I would encourage new growers to grow something they can have success with first. Because you or I or anyone else that geeks out on rare fruit could fruit biriba or soursop in a pot in the Bay Area , does not make it recommendable to do.
Mango is the most popular fruit in the world , so this plays out with Mango in the Bay Area more than any other fruit. Because there is a fruiting Manila seedling on Stevens creek, or someone in Fremont with a fruiting Mango tree does not make it advisable , in my opinion , to say “ yes, mango can be grown here , go for it!”. 
Glad to hear of your success , I am sure you will be the first to fruit some different rare species in tha Bay.

[ScottR]

There's a guy who is on this forum but doesn't post much that has some fruiting mango trees in Santa Clara.  I think you are much better off growing stone fruits but maybe you could just plant a few mango seeds just to see for yourself how it works out.  It won't cost much to just try.

That was Joe Hewitt you were talking about and he is now in Hawaii I don't think his mango's made it though but I could be wrong. CRFG conferance was up that way in 2017 or 18 and I don't remember seeing his mango's.
Any way could be done with warm spot and a little help during Winter.

[Bush2Beach]

Joe’s Mango planted outdoors in Los Gatos died, kwai muk, star fruit are borderline plants that are still alive In that garden though.